CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioAxone BioSciences, Inc., an emerging clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative drugs to restore neurological function, today announced that a peer-reviewed research article on axon regeneration by CEO Lisa McKerracher, Ph.D. and Kenneth Rosen, Ph.D., VP of Research, “MAG, Myelin and Overcoming Growth Inhibition in the CNS,” has been published in the 2017 issue of the Frontiers Journal Series, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
“Understanding the mechanisms behind the inhibition of neural regeneration in central nervous system (CNS) and how to circumvent it for meaningful recovery after neurotrauma and other CNS diseases is our focus. Lisa and I, along with our team of scientists at BioAxone, are committed to this goal,” commented Dr. Rosen. “We are delighted to have this article published in Frontiers to contribute to the important dialogue concerning regeneration research.”
“Since the identification of the first myelin-driven growth inhibitory protein in my lab in 1994, we have gained a wealth of knowledge concerning similar proteins present in myelin,” said Dr. McKerracher. “Our scientists at BioAxone continue to explore and advance the work on axon regeneration to develop innovative therapies for CNS diseases, including Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) with our lead Rho kinase 2 (ROCK2) inhibitor BA-1049. We are also extending our ROCK2 inhibitor work with BA-1076, which targets glaucoma.”
Dr. Lisa McKerracher, Founder and CEO of BioAxone, is a renowned industry leader in neuroscience who invented Cethrin™, now VX-210, a biologic drug to reduce paralysis after spinal cord injury. She is also an Adjunct Professor at McGill University. Dr. Kenneth Rosen, Vice President of Research, is an accomplished neuroscientist with 25 years of experience in nervous system disease.
About Frontiers
Frontiers is an academic publisher of providing open access to peer-reviewed articles. The Frontiers Journal Series is a multi-tier and interdisciplinary set of open-access, online journals. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that aims to identify key molecules underlying the structure, design and function of the brain across all levels.
The special issue of myelin-mediated inhibition of axonal regeneration: Past, Present and Future, edited by Sari Hannila and Wilfredo Mellado, was published in honor of the life and work of Dr. Marie Filbin (1955-2014). Dr. Filbin and Dr. McKerracher were the first scientists to purify and identify a myelin-derived inhibitor of axon regeneration, MAG, a discovery followed by identification of other proteins, receptors and signaling molecules that regulate regeneration and growth inhibition in the central nervous system. The volume is available as an e-book at http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/3378/myelin-mediated-inhibition-of-axonal-regeneration-past-present-and-future.
About BA-1049
BA-1049 is a first-in-class oral inhibitor of Rho kinase 2 (ROCK2), a kinase that regulates endothelial cell junctions and the blood brain barrier. It is in development to treat cerebral cavernous malformation, a cerebrovascular disease where thin-walled, leaky capillaries form brain lesions susceptible to bleeding that predispose patients to a lifetime risk of seizure, hemorrhagic stroke and other neurological defects. In preclinical experiments BA-1049 has shown promise to repair the leaky endothelial cell barrier and potentially to reverse progression of disease.
About BioAxone BioSciences
BioAxone BioSciences is an emerging, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative drugs to restore neurological function for patients with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) and vascular malformations in the central nervous system with unmet medical need, and glaucoma. Led by a team of scientists renowned for their work on axon regeneration and neuronal signaling pathways, BioAxone has a pioneering SCI drug currently in a Phase IIb/III clinical trial with our partner, Vertex, and is positioned to move other candidates into clinical trials. For more information, visit www.bioaxonebio.com
